Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 48
PSAL. XLVIII. foreign.
UNder the Type Jeruſalem, is ſet down the happineſs of the Church, which is alwayes protected by Gods favour.
Three parts there are of this Pſalm.
1. The excellencies and priviledges of the City of God, from verſ. 1. to 4.
2. A Narration of a miraculous deliverance ſhe obtain'd, and upon it the Terrour that fell on her enemies, from verſ. 4. to 8.
3. An Exhortation to conſider it, and praiſe God, from verſ. 8. to 15.
1. The firſt part.He begins with a foreign, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praiſed. Great in himſelf, Vers. 1 and greatly to be praiſed for all things, in all places, but eſpecially, The excellencies of the Church.In the City of our God, in the Mountain of Holineſs.
Then he deſcends to ſet forth the Excellencies and Ornaments of the Church.
1. It is the City of God. Built, govern'd by him. He reſides there.
2. It is a Holy Mountain. The Religion in it Holy. The people a Holy people.
3. Vers. 2 It is Beautiful for Situation. God had put his beauty upon it.
4. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. The joy of all the Land, of Juda then, and after of the whole earth: Becauſe the Law was to come out of Zion.
5. The City of the great King; that is, God. He founded it, and rules in it. Vers. 3
6. God is known in her Palaces. In her is the knowledge of God, yea, and by an experimental knowledge to be an Aſylum, a ſure refuge.
2. And well it is, that it is ſo; for Jeruſalem, i.e. The Church, hath many, The ſecond part. The enemies of the Church.and great enemies, which, verſ. 5. the Prophet begins to deſcribe, and deſires that notice be taken of them, for he points them out with an Ecce, F…r Lo.
1. They are many and powerful. They were Kings, a plurality of them. Vers. 4
2. Confederate Kings. The Kings were aſſembled. Many and Mighty. But prevail nor.Vis unita fortior.
But all the endeavours of theſe Kings, of theſe Confederate Kings, came to nothing.
1. They paſſed by together. Together they came, and together they vaniſhed. Vers. 5
2. They ſaw, they wondered. They ſaw the ſtrength of this City, and wondered how it ſhould be ſo ſtrangely delivered out of their hands.And troubled at it
3. And upon it they were troubled, they trembled and haſted away. Fear took hold upon them. Which the Prophet illuſtrates by a double Similitude.
1. By a travailing woman. Fear and trembling took hold upon them, Vers. 6 as upon a woman in travail.
2. By the fear of Mariners at Sea, Vers. 7 when an Euroclydon threatens to tear their ſh…p. Their amazement was ſuch, Gods protection of her.as when Thou breakeſt the ſhips of Tarſhiſh with an Eaſt-wind.
3. Now follows the third part of the Pſalm, The third part.in which are two eſpecial points.
1. A grateful acknowledgement of Gods protection of his Church, 1Gratitude.Vers. 8 as he promiſed: As we have heard, ſo have we ſeen in the City of our God: Heard we have that he will protect this City, and we ſee that he hath done it, and perſwaded we are, that he will alwayes do it. God upholds the ſame for ever.
2. And this ſhall never be forgotten by us. Vers. 9 We have thought upon thy Name, O Lord, and loving-kindneſs, in the midst of thy Temple.
3. And ſo thought of it, as to praiſe thee for it. According to thy Name, ſo is thy praiſe, O God, to the ends of the earth. Vers. 10 All the earth ſhall know that thy righ-hand is full of righteouſneſs. That thou with a powerful hand doſt help thy people oppreſſed with injuries, and doſt puniſh their enemies, by which thou doſt give a manifeſt evidence of thy righteouſneſs and juſtice.
The other point of the third part, is an Exhortation to Gods people.
1. That they exult and rejoice for that which God does for them. 2To which the Church is incited.Let Mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, becauſe of thy judgements, in defending thy Church, Vers. 11 in puniſhing their enemies.
2. That they take eſpecial notice of his miraculous deliverance of Jeruſalem, with all the particulars of it, that notwithſtanding the Army was great that lay againſt it, yet no harm was done to any part of it. Walk about Zion, and go round about her, and tell the Towers thereof. Vers. 12 Mark ye well her bulwarks, and conſider her palaces. See, mark, conſider whether they are not all yet ſtanding entire.
3. And do it for this, That you may tell it to the generation following: Vers. 13 Leave it upon Record, how miraculouſly God hath delivered you.
4. Now for this there is good reaſon. For this God, Vers. 14 This God that ſo protects and defends his Church, and takes revenge for us, is our God by Covenant and promiſe for ever and ever, and he will for ever keep this Covenant with us. He will be our guide, even unto death, and in death. Leave us he will not, when all the world leaves us. Therefore exult, rejoice, mark it, and make it known to the generation to come.
The Prayer collected out of the forty eighth Pſalm.
O Lord God of Iſrael, Vers. 1 thou which dwelleſt betwixt the Cherubints, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the Kingdoms of the earth: and yet amongſt theſe thou haſt erected to thy ſelf an everlaſting Kingdom, and ſet thy King upon thy Holy Hill of Zion, this thou haſt choſen to be the City of our God, the Mountain of Holineſs. This thou haſt ſeated on a fruitful Hill, ordained to be the joy of the whole earth. In this City of the great king, and in her Palaces thou haſt hitherto made thy ſelf known for a ſure refuge.
Lord, bow down thine ears and hear, Lord, now open thine eyes and ſee, for lo the Kings of Nations are aſſembled, they paſſed by together, and are confederate againſt thee, they lay their heads together with one conſent, and take counſel how they may lay Jeruſalem in the duſt.
O Lord, let not our ſins be of more power to deſtroy, than thy mercy to ſave this thy City, ſhew thy ſtrength, and come and help us, let all our enemies be troubled, let them haſt away, let fear take hold ſuddenly upon them, as the pangs upon a woman in travail. Break their power, and diſſipate their Armies, as ſhips at Sea are broken to pieces by ſome violent and unexpected wind.
O Lord, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us what thou haſt done in the dayes of old. As we have heard, ſo let it be ſeen in the City of our God, make us experimentally to know, that thou wilt eſtabliſh this thy City, thy Church for ever. So ſhall we have juſt reaſon to think of thy loving-kindneſs, and to magnifie thy mercy in the midſt of thy Temple; Vers. 13 to praiſe thy name to the ends of the Earth, to exalt thy right-hand ſo full of righteouſneſs, to ſpeak of thy judgements, and to tell of all thy wonderous works to all generations to come.
O let Mount Zion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad, for the bulwarks that yet ſtand faſt, and the palaces that flouriſh, proclaim, that this God is our God for ever and ever, that he is a great Lord, and greatly to be praiſed, and that he will be our guide unto death. Amen.